The Gift – a book
May 8th, 2009 . by JoyceThere’s a portion of a song that goes something like, “If you can’t be with the one you love, Honey, love the one you’re with.” (Is that by Will Young?) (Correction on 5/9: My friend Chris, who knows everything about music, told me that this is by Stephen Stills. He also wants you to know that Stills means something by those lyrics quite different from what I say.)
That line can have a variety of meanings, but one spin is reminiscent of the parable of the Good Samaritan told by the Lord Jesus Christ. The Samaritans and the Jews were traditionally enemies, but when a Samaritan took pity on a wounded Jewish man, Jesus said that it was the Samaritan who was truly the neighbor to the Jew, not those who would usually be called “neighbors.” He showed his neighborliness by his behavior.
Think of family love. More and more folks are opening their hearts and homes to adopt children who are not “bone of their bone and flesh of their flesh.” Does this mean they’re not really “family”? Does this mean that the real bond, the stronger bond, is the biological bond? I think most of us realize that it takes more than biology to make a family; you need genuine LOVE.
Sometimes we hear that adopted children worry about this. They wonder if they’re REALLY a part of the adopted family, or if they’re more a part of the birth parents.
I recently purchased a book by Karen Craft and Meghan Branscomb entitled The Gift. This book is a bit about adoption, and a lot about family love. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but I do recommend it to you! You can find out about ordering this book on the site Just Sharing a Story.
Our niece and her husband are “patiently waiting” for a baby from Ethiopia. This would be a great gift for them!
One Moms last blog post..Patiently waiting….
Good morning! I have to get this book – we were talking about babies and little sisters the other day as my youngest would like one, and I can’t have any more children. My dh said he was open to adoption and I about tipped over. Now we are praying over it to see if that was God is desiring for our family. What an amazing thought!
“love the one you’re with” is a stephen stills song. unfortunately, i don’t think he shared your interpretation of the song.
Thanks for the helpful information, Chris. I noted the change in the post.
Hi, Joyce. Wishing you a very special Mother’s Day!
Melanies last blog post..Happy Mother’s Day
What a wonderful celebration of life . . . sharing it freely in love with those around, not just our bone-and-flesh family. Adoption is God’s precious gift to us . . . of course we should treat it with utmost respect in terms of knitting families together. What a blessing: a family’s love!
Happy Mother’s Day!
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